With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, anyone in Fairfield or Westchester counties who's looking to rent an apartment, sell a car or even find a lost pet might be looking for a little extra luck.

My Luck Club is a Craiglist-type of service that aims to help both "Luck Seekers" -- those who are looking for a service -- and "Luck Makers" who can provide it. The exchange process is incentivized by the reward, which "Luck Seekers" post along with their ad on the site. "Luck Makers," who might have a solution, respond to the ad and, if the resolution is completely satisfactory, will receive the monetary reward.

It all started with CEO and founder Phyllis Pierce's own search for a rental a few years ago. Looking for a home in a specific area and coming up short online, the Trumbull resident put up signs around the neighborhood offering a $500 reward to anyone who could assist her in finding a home to rent that met her criteria. It worked; Pierce found precisely the home she wanted and an idea sparked in her mind.

"People were really motivated by the money, although I do like to think that they're also motivated by helping people," Pierce said. "The good news is that people like the fact that it's not like Craigslist where you have to wait and hope someone answers."

The price of the reward depends on the discretion of the poster, Pierce said, though she advocates using common sense to judge what a suitable award might be. One poster looking for employment set a $500 reward for headhunters to respond with job leads and has reported getting more interviews after posting on My Luck Club, Pierce said. The price can also be indicative of the value the "Luck Seeker" places in getting what they want. In another case, a Hartford woman has offered $2,500 for the return of two dogs who were stolen or lost from her home.

The name My Luck Club came from Pierce's personal philosophy and a quote from Thomas Jefferson: "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

The website, which launched live in September, received its initial funding -- and a bit of luck -- from Connecticut Innovations, which offered $25,000 to new businesses. The process of pitching an idea is "very competitive," Pierce said.

"We continue to try to find ways to support the startups and entrepreneurs in our state," said Lauren Carmody, executive in residence at Connecticut Innovations. "Many times, the most difficult problem we find is that entrepreneurs don't know or understand the programs, funding and coaching that is available to them. CTNext is a great first stop for many aspiring and current startups and entrepreneurs. "

Pierce is a serial entrepreneur and My Luck Club is the third business she's started on her own, following forays into TV production and gourmet baking in Los Angeles. Eventually, she plans to deduct a percentage of the posted rewards when a transaction goes through, although the site, still in its early stages, is currently free to use. Pierce has set up a `Support My Luck Club' section of the site and likens the fundraising to what the band Radiohead did in 2007, when they released an album through a "pay-what-you-want" system.